Pupil’s Behaviour Towards Teacher
Vignette #8
Context
I am a student teacher and I teach English. Each year, we do an internship in a school. We are supposed to switch schools every year, to build on our experience in different school settings. At the moment I am in my third year, and in my third internship.
The issue I face is that pupils at my internship are quite unpredictable. I have had pupils threaten me or swear at me. For me it is very difficult to correct their behaviour from time to time.
When things like that happen and I consult my colleagues, they always ‘brush it off’ and tell me that I should just send them to the “time-out”.
Dilemma
I do not feel comfortable in this situation, I do not like to be treated like trash by my pupils. It is not beneficial for the atmosphere in my classroom when pupils behave disrespectfully. This also affects the other pupils. I think pupils should respect their teacher. But what if they don’t? How can I be strict and firm? Are there other ways to correct the behaviour of pupils?
Choices
- consult colleagues and ask how they act in situations like this (tool 9 and tool 10)
- talk with the pupils individually and try to get to know them better (tool 13)
- reflect on situations when pupils are disrespectful, is there a cause for their behaviour? (tool 5, 6 or 18 (reflective diary))
- read literature on pedagogical management (tool 2)